Suction cleaning apparatus



Oct. 15, 1946. C, H, TAYLOR 2,409,230

SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 3, 1944 A mvENToR l CHARLESHTAYLOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1946 SUC'IION CLEANING APPARATUS Charles H.Taylor, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication May 3, 1944, Serial No. 533,866

(Cl. 18S- 37) Claims.

My invention relates to a suction cleaner and more particularly to asuction cleaner which is provided with a filter for separating coarseparticles ofdirt from the stream of air, and a removable receptacledisposed below said filter for receiving said particles.

One object of my invention is to produce an improved suction cleaner ofthe type set forth.

A further object of my invention is to produce a suction cleaner inwhich the clogging of the lter is considerably reduced, thus minimizingthe necessity of cleaning or replacement of the screen.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparentfrom the following description and claims taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a suction cleaner embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on lines lII-III ofFig. 1;

Figs. 4 to '7, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustrating the motionof the dirt-separating screen forming the subject matter of myinvention; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view showing a modified formof construction.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, I0 designates a suction cleanercarried by front and rear wheels I2 and provided with a suction nozzle I4 in which is preferably mounted the usual brush roll or agitator I6. Amotor I 8, provided with a shaft I8, drives a suction fan 20. In frontof the fan 20 is a wall or partition 22 which is provided with anopening 24 constituting an inlet for the fan 20. The partition 22 issecured to any desired support within the cleaner casing such as to anabutment 26 which is suitably secured to the casing. Behind the fan 20is another wall or partition 33 provided with air outlet openings 32.The partition 30 supports the bearing 33 of the motor shaft I9. Thepartitions 22 and 30' thus form a fan chamber 3 I.

Between the fan 23 and the nozzle I4 is a tubular lter 34 for separatingthe coarser particles of dirt from the air stream moving from the nozzletowards the fan. The filter 34 is preferably made of wire fabric of thedesired mesh, but it may be made of cloth or a combination of cloth andwire screening or other porous material. The lter 34 is preferably of afrusto-conical shape and is clamped at its larger end between theflanges of a pair of discs 36 and 38 which are secured to each other andto a disc 40 by rivets or the like 4I The disc 40 is provided withopenings 42 registering with the fan inlet 24 in the partition 22. Themarginal portions of the discs 36, 38

and 40 are bent or offset to form a pair of channels therebetween foraccommodating the inner peripheral portions of a pair of fixed annularbailles 44. This produces an overlapping of the outer peripheries of thediscs 36, 38 and 40 and the inner peripheries of the Xed bailies 44 toprevent the passage of coarse particles of dirt to the fan chamber 3I,without preventing free movement of the discs 36, 38 and 4I! relative tothe fixed baiiles 44. The disc 46 is mounted on a. reduced portion atthe inner end of a sleeve and is held in position by stop collars or thelike 46. The sleeve 45 is carried by a shaft 48 which is eccentricallycarried by or connected to the shaft I9. The shaft 48 is provided withfront and rear balance weights 49. The front or outer periphery of thetubular lter 34 is clamped between two collars 50 mounted on a reducedportion at the outer end of the sleeve 45 and is re tained in positionby a stop collar 52. Below and on the high pressure side of the filter34 is a removable receptacle 53 for receiving coarse particles of dirtseparated from the air stream by the screen 34. In order to preventrotation of the lter 34 with the shaft 48, I connect the discs 36, 38and 4!! by means of tension springs tothe partition 22. In the preferredform illustrated, two diametrically-opposed spring assemblies 54 and 56are connected to the partition 22 by rivets or the like 58 and tothediscs 36, 38 and 40 by the rivets 4i which secure the discs 36, 38 and40 together. The exact structure of the spring assemblies may be variedas long as they serve to permit movement but not free rotation of thelter 34.

Operation 'As the shaft I9 is rotated, the shaft 48 is r0- tatedeccentrically of the shaft I9. Since the filter 34 is prevented fromrotation with the shaft 48 by the retaining spring assemblies 54 and 56,it gyrates about the axis of rotation of the shaft IS.

This movement of the filter 34 is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs.4 to 7, in which four positions of the filter are shown. It is, however,understood that, in its gyratory movement, the lter will assume aninfinite number of intermediate positions. In other words, every pointon the surface of the lter moves in a circular path eccentric to theaxis of rotation of the shaft 48. In Fig. 4, the filter 34, the rivets4I and the springs 66 and 62 are shown in the position they will assumewhen the eccentric shaft 48 is in its uppermost position, as shown inFig. l.

In this position, the rivets 4i are intheir uppermost position and thesprings 69 and 62 are stretched to converge upwardly towards the rivets4 I. When the shaft 48 has gone through onehalf of a revolution, theparts will appear as is moved through an angle of 90 degrees from eitherof the positions in Figs. 4 and 6, the parts will assume the approximateposition shown in Figs. and '7, and so on. As shown diagrammatically inFigs. 4 to '7, each of the rivets 4l follows the path illustrated by thearrows 64 while the shaft 48 follows a similar path with reference to4the axis of the shaft I9. The filter 34 thus presents a conical,gyrating surface to the dirt- .Y

laden air stream flowing from the nozzle I4 towards the fan 2U. v n

As. the dirt-laden air is drawn towards and through the filter 34, thecoarser particles of dirt in the air stream impinge upon the conicalsurface of the filter and are thrown ofi by the highspeed gyratorymovement thereof. These particles of dirtpcollect in the receptacle 53.

As theA filter gyrates, a portion of the conical surface thereof movesin opposition to the flow of the air through the filter and Vhence theexterior surface Yof this portion is momentarily subjected to increasedair pressure. On the other hand, the exterior surface of the oppositeportion of the filter moves away from, or in the direction of ow of theair, and the exterior surface of this portion is momentarily subjectedto decreased air pressure. The reduced airlpressure on the'exterior ofthe latter portion causes air momentarily to fiow from within the filteroutwardly through this portion. The air flowing outwardly through thisportion of the filter blows out dust particles which may have lodged inthe pores thereof, as well as larger pieces of dirt which may have beenheld against the filter surfaceV by exterior air pressure, and thusprevents clogging of the filter. For example, asthe shaft 48 moves toits uppermost position shown in Fig. 4, the upper portion of the filtermoves against the air stream While thelower portion of the filter moveswith the air stream. Therefore, air from IWithin theA screen now fiowsoutwardly through the lower portion of the filter. The opposite action`takes place when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6. Therightand left-hand portions of the filter are subjected to the sameaction when the parts are as shown in Figs. 5 and '7, and otherintermediate portionsof the lter will be subjected to the same action asthe filter moves through successive intermediate positions.

The air passing through the filter 34 and between the overlappingportions of the discs 36, 38 and 48 and the bafiles 44, flows throughthe openings 42 into the inlet 24 of the fan chamber 3l From the fanchamber, air flows through the openings 32, around the motor i8, and outthrough a rear filter 66 and an exhaust opening 68. Ther filter E4serves to remove the finer particles of dust from the air before it isdischarged into the room.

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, the annular baffles 44 and thediscs 36 and 38 are replaced by aflexible element 'IIJ which mayor maynot be of porous material. The element 'l0 is in the nature of a fiatring, the inner periphery of which is secured to the outer periphery ofthe disc 49, as at l2. The outer periphery cf the flexible element 1l!is secured to the cleaner casing, asV at 14. Asv will' be seen from Fig.8, the flexible ring l0 is made bigger than the space to be closedthereby, so as to permit free movement of the disc 4D. For example, whenthe shaft 48 is in its uppermost position, the exible element 10 has afold or wrinkle along its upper portion, while the lower portion of theelement 10 is, comparatively speaking, stretched out. By thisconstruction, the cost and weight of the parts 36, 38 and 44 areeliminated and a complete seal is obtained between the high and lowpressure sides of the vfilter 34, thus insuring that all of the airdrawn by the fan 2! will pass through the filter 34. Except as pointedout, the modified form of invention illustrated in Fig. 8 is constructedand operates in the same manner as that explained in connection with thestructure shown in Fig. 1.

While I have shown my Yinvention in several forms, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various other changes Aand modifications without departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire,- therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a casing, a fan motor unit disposed insaid casing for moving air therethrough, a tubular filter movablymounted in the path of iiow of air through said casing, means supportingsaid filter and driven by the shaft of said fan motor unit for impartingto. said filter a gyratory movement about the axis of said shaft, saidlast-mentioned means including a gyratory element eccentricallyconnected to and driven by the shaft of the fan motor unit and on whichsaid filter is movably mounted, and means for preventing rotation ofsaid filter.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a casing,a fan motor unit disposed insaid casing for moving air therethrough, a tubular filter movably.mounted in the path of flow of air ,through said casing, meanssupporting said filter and driven by the shaft of said fan motor unitfor imparting to said filter a gyratory movement about the axis ofsaidshaft,A said last-,mentioned'means including a second shaft,eccentrically connected to and driven by a shaft of said fan motor unitand on which said filter is movably mounted, and yielding means forpreventing rotation of said filter.

3. Al suction cleaner comprising a casing, a fan motor unit. vfor movingair through said casing, a shaft eccentric to and driven by the shaft ofsaid fan motor unit, a supportcarried by s aid shaft, a'tubular filtercarried by said support, a pair of springs, a fixed member positionedwithin said casing, means for connecting said springs todiametrically-opposed portions of said fixed membenhand means forconnecting said springs to diametrically-opposed portions of saidsupport. n 1.,Means Vfor imparting a gyratory. movement to a tubularfilterl disposed in the path ofY fiow of a stream of air, said meansincluding a rotating shaft on which said filter is mounted, and yieldingmeans connected to said filter and to a fixed support for preventingrotation of said filter with said shaft.

5. Means for imparting a gyratory movement to a tubular filter disposedin the path of flow of a stream of air, said means including a rotatingshaft, an .eccentric shaft driven by said rotating shaft and on whichsaid lfilter is mounted, and yielding `meansyconnected to said filterand toa fixed support for permitting movement of said filter butpreventing rotation of said filter with said eccentric shaft. Y l ACHARLES H. TAYLOR,`

Disclaimer 2,409,230.-Uharles H. Taylor, Springfield, Mass. SUCTIONCLEANING APPARATUS. Patent dated Oct. 15, 1946. Disclaimer filed Dec.23, 1947 by the assignee, Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Herebydisclaims from the scope of claim 1 any suction cleaner except whereinthe filter is movably mounted on and driven by the shaft of the fanmotor unit during the normal full speed operation thereof.

[Oficial Gazette Feb. 3, 1948.]

